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‘I Had No Idea He Was On 98…’ Pat Cummins After Robbing Carey Of Century In Australia’s Win

Alex Carey and Pat Cummins celebrating Australia's win at Christchurch (x.com)Alex Carey and Pat Cummins celebrating Australia's win at Christchurch (x.com)

Australian captain Pat Cummins and struggling wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey forged an unbeaten 61-run match-winning stand for the eighth wicket against New Zealand at Christchurch. Chasing 279 for a win, the two cricketers had formed an unlikely alliance at 220-7 before they guided Australia past the finishing line with three wickets to spare.

Skipper Cummins struck the winning runs while Carey top-scored in the innings with his summer-best 98*. As it turned out, Cummins’ winning boundary ended up depriving the wicketkeeper of a rare fourth-innings century.

Nonetheless, the glovesman bagged the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his run-chase masterclass as Australia sealed their two-match series by a 2-0 margin.


Pat Cummins admits being clueless to Carey’s landmark

After the match, Australian skipper Pat Cummins admitted that he was clueless about Alex Carey’s fast-approaching century by the time he produced the winning boundary off New Zealand fast bowler Ben Sears. 

“I had no idea he was on 98! That would have been embarrassing if he was celebrating (his ton) and I wasn’t looking," Cummins said.

Alex Carey, meanwhile, seemed more than happy that his unbeaten 98 came in a winning cause for his country. 

“I was happy with that. I didn’t want to get on strike again," the Australian wicketkeeper said.

Earlier in the match, the visitors were reeling at 34-4, soon to be 80-5, before Mitchell Marsh belted an impervious 80 during his 140-run match-defining partnership with Alex Carey.

After Ben Sears led New Zealand’s fightback with two wickets off two balls, Carey took up the run-scoring onus during his fighting eight-wicket stand with Pat Cummins. While the wicketkeeper stroked 98* off just 123 balls, captain Cummins remained unbeaten at 32* off 44 deliveries.

Australia’s triumphant moment at Christchurch helped them seal the series 2-0, and solidified them at number two on the 2023-25 WTC points table.